Tar Heels beat Rhode Island in NIT semifinals

NEW YORK(AP) -- North Carolina wrapped up last season by cutting
down the nets during a championship celebration, and the goal
all along has been to do it again this year.

The Tar Heels will have their chance Thursday night, under much
different circumstances.

Deon Thompson had 16 points and 13 rebounds, helping North
Carolina survive a frantic final few seconds and defeat Rhode
Island 68-67 in overtime Thursday night in the NIT semifinals.

Will Graves added 14 points and Tyler Zeller had 13 for the Tar
Heels (20-16), who will try to make bittersweet history against
Dayton by becoming the first school to follow a national title
with an NIT championship at Madison Square Garden.

"We enjoyed playing the last Monday night last year, and you
know, we play the last Thursday night this year," coach Roy
Williams said. "Playing the last Monday night is better, there's
no question about that. But I do believe that if you're playing
- if they keep playing until there's only one team standing -
it's very important to be that one team."

The Tar Heels have played with a sense of desperation during the
NIT, almost as if they have a chip on their shoulder, and that
was borne out when they scored the final five points of
regulation to force overtime.

In the extra session, North Carolina had possession with about 5
seconds left and the shot clock about to expire when Larry Drew
II forced up a shot. The rebound eventually wound up in the
hands of Rhode Island's Lamonte Ulmer, who lost control of the
ball as he rushed up court moments before the buzzer sounded,
never coming close to getting off a shot.

Rhode Island coach Jim Baron thought he had been tripped and a
foul should have been called, an opinion that North Carolina
coach Roy Williams readily supported.

"We got the rebound and we were aiming to push it down the other
end," Baron said. "I thought there was some contact and he
tripped."

Ulmer finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for Rhode Island
(26-10), which was trying to reach the NIT championship game for
the first time since the 1945-46 season. Keith Cothran scored 23
points and Delroy James finished with 13.

"Those guys played with a tremendous amount of heart," Baron
said. "That's why I told them how proud I was, they put it all
out there."

The final seconds of overtime mirrored a frenetic end to
regulation.

The game was tied 59-all when James missed two free throws with
28.6 seconds left. North Carolina tracked down the rebound and,
after a timeout, Drew allowed the shot clock to run down to 6
seconds before taking a closely guarded 3-pointer that never had
a chance.

"One of the players said in the locker room, 'Sometimes it helps
to win ugly,"' Williams said, "and we did win ugly today."

Defense played a big part in it.

The Tar Heels ended up with 27 offensive rebounds and 60 total,
compared to 45 for the Rams. Rhode Island also turned the ball
over 18 times, including that critical miscue with the seconds
ticking down in overtime.

"We didn't execute very well and you hate to end the game like
that in such an ugly way," Drew said, "but sometimes that's how
it is in the game of basketball."

It sure was a strange sight to see North Carolina, the bluest of
the bluebloods, playing on a Tuesday night at Madison Square
Garden - especially when the most important games are being
played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Injuries and inexperienced combined to send the Tar Heels'
season spiraling out of control, and they didn't recover until
their chances of making the NCAA tournament - and defending the
title they earned by beating Michigan State last March - had
disappeared entirely.

Relegated to playing in a tournament for also-rans, the Tar
Heels went on the road to defeat Mississippi State and
Alabama-Birmingham before knocking off a Rhode Island team that
had the best RPI of any program that failed to make the NCAA
tournament.

The season still ended up being a success for Rhode Island,
which could have matched the school record for wins in a season
had it won the NIT championship.

The Rams' faithful certainly turned out in droves for the
semifinals, easily outnumbering the Tar Heels fans clad in baby
blue. They kept cheering until the final turnover in overtime,
imploring a veteran team for one more night in the spotlight.

Instead, it will be North Carolina playing for yet another
championship.

Even if it's not what anybody expected.

"You know, I have a great appreciation of this tournament, I
have a great appreciation of the tradition, the history of the
NIT," Williams said. "If you win this tournament, you have to
feel good about it."